2023-12-27 19:13:26
A recent study examined the mummified remains of an ancient Egyptian teenage girl, revealing tragic details about her death linked to giving birth to twins. Explanations.
Maternal mortality in ancient Egypt
Determining the cause of death in an archaeological context can be complex, particularly when fetal or newborn remains are found in the graves of women of childbearing age.
Often, childbirth is suggested as a possible cause, but physical evidence is mostly limited. Among the archaeological record, only seven cases meet a strict definition of death during childbirth that requires specific evidence such as the presence of fetal remains in the birth canal.
In a recent study, researchers examined these different cases to precisely assess the age of the individuals, identify any bone abnormalities and determine the probable cause of death.
Among the seven cases examined, one attracted particular attention from researchers.
Credits: Paul Hudson / Flickr
A macabre discovery
Scientists analyzed CT scans of the mummy, originally exhumed in 1908, and discovered the presence of a second fetus in the woman’s chest cavity.
In other words, this young woman was expecting twins. A virtual autopsy showed the first baby was in a breech position, which would have caused a “traumatic fetal decapitation” during childbirth, resulting in the death of the mother and both infants.
In other words, the first baby’s head became detached from the rest of the body during the birthing process. This situation is a rare and tragic obstetric complication.
Mummification was a common burial practice in ancient Egypt aimed at preserving the body for the afterlife. The process usually involved the removal of internal organs, including fetuses in the case of a pregnant woman. In this particular case, possible ignorance of twin pregnancy would have led embalmers not to carry out this necessary step to remove the second fetus before mummification.
This gap in embalmers’ understanding highlights the challenges modern researchers face in interpreting mummified remains and understanding the circumstances surrounding death, particularly when elements such as twin pregnancy are not obvious at first glance.
This discovery also highlights the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth during this era, particularly for twin births, which were often considered undesirable in ancient Egypt.
Details of the study are published inInternational Journal of Osteoarchaeology.
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